Switzerland and Italy Trip

During the Muslim holiday of Eid, Sara and I took a trip to Switzerland and Italy for 2 weeks. Our friends Dan and Angela met us there for a week. While we were on our holiday, Sara and I both received notice that we did not have to work the following week. We were able to move our flights one week and we spent the extra week in Florence and then a couple days in Luzern, Switzerland.



We met in Zurich for a couple days, drove to Turin/Piedemonte Italy area, Florence, then Luzern. Switzerland country is beautiful. Montreax on Lake Geneva was very pretty. Montreax was our stopping point for an excellent lunch as we drove to Turin.



Dan and I went to a soccer game while we were in Turin. We purchased tickets 1/2 hour before the game and sat in the 5th row. It was a great experience as it was my first professional football (soccer) game. I was the only light haired person in the stadium. I'm sure I stood out like a sore thumb.



In Piedmonte we relaxed, wine tastings, and excellent food. Piedemonte area is known for their white truffles and they were in season during our trip. They have such a distinct smell...I don't think I'll ever forget it. They measure the truffle before shavings are placed on your meal, then remeasure in order to know how much to charge. White Truffles are very expensive. One amazing restaurant in Turin showed us pictures of a 1.3 kg truffle they found in 2007 that was worth $22,000! I'd like to find one of those!



Sara and I really enjoyed Florence. The weather was warmer and the town has so much history. We saw the Ponte Vecchio Bridge, Statue of David by Michaelangelo, and famous church (Duomo's). Florence has all the shopping you could ever want and the best restaurants. It doesn't matter where you eat...it's all amazing. We also did a one day trip to Sienna to reminensce about our previous Italy trip. It rained HEAVILY for most of the day, but we still had a great time.



We rode the train from Florence to Luzern where we spent 2 nights. For my birthday, I chose a Rathaus Bier restaurant. It was very good. For dinner I chose a mexican restaurant...bad decision. Here are some of our pictures.

Typical Florence Street

Town of Luzern with Mountain

Ponte Vecchio Bridge

Lake Geneva in Montreax

Lake Geneva

Qsar Al Sarab

Sorry for the delay in blog postings...not as efficient now that I'm working. Sara and I went to a new TDIC Hotel that opened the first week in November. We got to enjoy it at the employee soft opening rate...which is a nice benefit! The hotel is called Qsar Al Sarab; which translates to Palace of the Mirage. It is located about 3 hours from Abu Dhabi in the Empty Quarter. There is definitely a reasons why it has this name. It's located in a pure sand desert. The stars at night are the brightest I think I've ever seen.

We really enjoyed our stay. The hotel, room, pool, staff, and food was excellent. We took a hike to the top of a sand mountain for a great view. You can do camel tours through the desert, dune bashing, archery, hikes, or just hang by the pool. Below are pictures of the hotel and from the top of the mountain.

I have Italy & Switzerland to post and we went on a sail boat with a colleague of Sara's. I'll post more as soon as I can...maybe this weekend.

Pool

View from our Patio

View from the top of our hike!

View from our hike looking back at the hotel!

Aerosmith Abu Dhabi

Aerosmith concert was excellent! They sounded great. It was like they were still 20 years old (except for the wrinkled skin and makeup!). We were very close to the end of the stage again. Stephen Tyler tossed his harmonica to a girl in the crowd that was right next to us. Below are pictures. We got awesome video, but I haven't taken the time to figure out how to post it.

Can't believe we have seen Andrea Bocelli, Coldplay, Beyonce', Kings of Leon, and Aerosmith in Abu Dhabi. The Killers are Dec. 8th right after we return from Switzerland and Italy (leave on Friday this week!) Enjoy the pictures.

This picture is from the big screen behind the band.

Beyonce' Concert Abu Dhabi

For the F1 Race Events, there were 4 concerts. The race was excellent. We have now been to 2 Inaugural F1 Races (Indy and Abu Dhabi). Sara and I got close during the Beyonce concert. We were probably within 15' when she came to the end of the stage. Below are pictures. Hope everyone is doing well.

Dubai September Weekend

At the end of September we took a 2 day trip to Dubai. We stayed at the Le' Meridian Mina Seyah. It's in the Marina District of Dubai and looks onto the Palm Jumeriah where Atlantis is located. These pictures are from our balcony.

With the weather better now (Highs of 95, Low of 80), there are many activities. New blogs to be posted very soon!

You can see Atlantis if you look close!

Overlooking the Pool and the main entrance onto the Palm

Sunset over the marina

Charlie's 1st Arabian Gulf Visit

Sara and I took Charlie to the beach last weekend for his 1st ocean experience. He loved digging in the sand. We took him again yesterday because we didn't have our camera the first time. The beach and water is goregous. This is the beach on my project site. Tomek is from Sara's Poland office. He was in town helping for 5 weeks. This was his last few hours before he flew home.

Tomek and Sara

Back in the Saddle Again!!

As Steven Tyler would say, "I'm back in the saddle again"! I started my new job with Tourism Development and Investment Company (www.tdic.ae). I am the Infrastructure Project Manager for the Saadiyat Beach Villas that wrap around a golf course and next to the beach. It took 6 months to find a job, but believe I found a great company and position. Check out the website.

Cheers! Rodney